Holland Scholarship
Frequently Asked Questions
Holland Scholarship
Contents
Conditions ............................................................................................................................................... 4
1.
How many scholarships are being awarded? ............................................................................ 4
2.
Which type of scholarships are being made available to outgoing and incoming students? ..... 4
3.
How large are the available scholarships? ................................................................................ 4
4.
What are the applicable selection criteria? ................................................................................ 4
5.
Which countries are taking part in the Holland Scholarship programme? ................................. 4
6.
Which nationalities are eligible for a Holland Scholarship? ....................................................... 4
7.
What about the nationality of outgoing students? ...................................................................... 4
8.
What about the eligibility of students with a non-EEA nationality visiting the Netherlands from
an EEA country to pursue a double degree at a Dutch institution? .................................................... 4
9.
Will students enrolled at a Dutch institution be eligible for an outgoing scholarship if they go
abroad for a year as a part of their double degree programme? ........................................................ 4
10. Are the incoming scholarships intended for students seeking to pursue an English-language
study programme, or are Dutch-language programmes also eligible? ............................................... 4
11. Do the participating study programmes have to be full-time, or are part-time programmes also
eligible? ............................................................................................................................................... 5
12.
Does it matter whether the student is planning to graduate/study or do a work placement? .... 5
13. Can the Holland Scholarship be awarded to students taking part in an online master's
programme? ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Deadlines ................................................................................................................................................ 5
14. When can institutions decide whether they wish to participate in the Holland Scholarship
programme? ........................................................................................................................................ 5
15.
By when must students apply for an incoming scholarship? ..................................................... 5
16.
By when must institutions inform the student that the scholarship has been awarded? ........... 5
17.
To what extent are the 1 April and 15 May deadlines binding? ................................................. 5
18. How strict is the six-week deadline for awarding scholarships to all students to have submitted
an application? .................................................................................................................................... 6
19.
When will students receive their scholarship? ........................................................................... 6
20.
By which date must institutions submit the final number of awarded scholarships? ................. 6
21. My institution applies specific selection procedures, and will not be able to meet the
aforementioned deadlines. Can the deadlines be extended? ............................................................. 6
Finances .................................................................................................................................................. 6
22. Can incoming students receive a scholarship over multiple years or for the duration of a multiyear study? .......................................................................................................................................... 6
23. Is the precondition specifying that students must receive the scholarship in the first year of
their study programme binding? ......................................................................................................... 6
24.
Does the scholarship amount depend on the length of the student's stay? .............................. 6
25.
Can the institution award its own scholarships alongside the Holland Scholarship? ................ 6
26. Can institutions apply the resources from their own scholarship fund towards their own
contribution to the Holland Scholarship? ............................................................................................ 7
27.
FAQ
Does the amount of € 1,250 for outgoing students apply per stay abroad? .............................. 7
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28. Will failure to obtain the predetermined amount of credits affect the scholarship in any way,
such as repayment of the scholarship? .............................................................................................. 7
29.
Are students obliged to prove how the contribution was spent? ............................................... 7
30.
Are institutions entitled to settle due tuition fees against the Holland Scholarship? .................. 7
31.
Can the institution decide to award more or fewer scholarships? ............................................. 7
32. Institutions are supposed to provide matching funds from the profiling fund to the tune of € 2.5
million. Does this specifically concern the knowledge scholarship? ................................................... 7
33. The number of scholarships awarded by the institution exceeds the fixed threshold. Which
maximum contribution amount will the institution be required to pay? ............................................... 7
34. Can government-funded institutions that award scholarships to students enrolled at a nonsubsidised study programme expect to receive matching funds from the Ministry of Education,
Culture and Science? .......................................................................................................................... 7
35.
Must students have received the scholarship payment before 1 June 2015? ........................... 8
36.
What about the scholarship programme for outgoing students? ............................................... 8
37. Will a fine be issued to institutions that do not award the full amount of pre-agreed
scholarships? ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Communication ....................................................................................................................................... 8
38.
How can students submit an application?.................................................................................. 8
39.
Which information will institutions be required to provide? ........................................................ 8
40.
How will scholarship candidates be selected? ........................................................................... 8
Students - outgoing ................................................................................................................................. 8
41.
What are the eligibility criteria for a Holland Scholarship?......................................................... 8
42.
What is the scholarship amount? ............................................................................................... 8
43.
How do I apply for the scholarship? ........................................................................................... 8
44.
Who determines whether I am eligible for the scholarship? ...................................................... 8
45.
I have a non-Dutch nationality. Am I still be eligible for the Holland Scholarship? .................... 9
46.
Will there be any consequences if I don't pass all the subjects? ............................................... 9
47.
What are the EEA countries? ..................................................................................................... 9
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Conditions
1. How many scholarships are being awarded?
As of the 2015-2016 academic year, an annual total of almost 768 scholarships will be made available
to enable students at Dutch research universities or universities of applied sciences to spend a period
abroad over the course of their studies. A total of 768 scholarships will also be made available to
international students seeking to pursue an entire study programme in the Netherlands.
2. Which type of scholarships are being made available to outgoing and incoming students?
Students pursuing an entire study programme at a Dutch higher education institution can apply for
scholarships to spend a short period (a minimum of three months and 15 ECTS credits) in a non-EEA
country. Students from non-EEA countries can apply for scholarships to pursue an entire study
programme at a Dutch higher education institution.
3. How large are the available scholarships?
In accordance with the nature of the scholarships (credit vs. diploma mobility) and the cost difference
for students (students visiting the Netherlands from outside the EEA pay high institutional tuition fees),
the one-off scholarship amount for outgoing scholarships has been set at € 1,250, while the amount
for incoming scholarships has been set at € 5,000. The scholarships should thus be regarded as a
contribution towards study costs rather than full-cost scholarships. Half of the scholarship amounts
will be funded by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, with the higher education institutions
providing matching funding to cover the other half. The institutions will select students for the
scholarships to ensure optimal alignment with their profile, the regional and national labour market
and the countries with which they cooperate.
4. What are the applicable selection criteria?
Holland Scholarships are intended for talented students. The relevant selection criteria will be
prepared by the institutions. However, these selection criteria must be clearly communicated on the
website landing page and in any communications targeting potential applicants.
5. Which countries are taking part in the Holland Scholarship programme?
The scholarships are available to incoming students from non-EEA countries and outgoing students
travelling to non-EEA countries. EEA countries are all countries within the European Union, together
with Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
6. Which nationalities are eligible for a Holland Scholarship?
Incoming students must be non-EEA nationals. Outgoing students do not necessarily have to have
Dutch nationality, but must be enrolled at a participating Dutch institution. Outgoing students will
spend a period of time in a non-EEA country.
7. What about the nationality of outgoing students?
Outgoing scholarships are awarded to students that are enrolled at a Dutch education institution and
are seeking to spend a period of time studying or doing a work placement outside the EEA as a part
of their study programme in the Netherlands. These scholarships are thus not limited to Dutch
students.
8.
What about the eligibility of students with a non-EEA nationality visiting the Netherlands
from an EEA country to pursue a double degree at a Dutch institution?
Students in this category are eligible for an incoming mobility scholarship in view of the fact that they
are travelling to the Netherlands from a non-EEA country to pursue an entire study programme (as
part of a double or joint degree).
9.
Will students enrolled at a Dutch institution be eligible for an outgoing scholarship if they
go abroad for a year as a part of their double degree programme?
No, outgoing scholarships serve to promote credit mobility. In the case of joint or double degrees, the
emphasis is on diploma mobility.
10. Are the incoming scholarships intended for students seeking to pursue an Englishlanguage study programme, or are Dutch-language programmes also eligible?
The incoming scholarships are intended for students seeking to pursue a study programme in the
Netherlands. In the vast majority of cases, this will concern English-language study programmes.
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However, students that are qualified to be admitted to a Dutch-language programme are also eligible
for a Holland Scholarship.
11. Do the participating study programmes have to be full-time, or are part-time programmes
also eligible?
Participation is open to both full-time and part-time study programmes.
12. Does it matter whether the student is planning to graduate/study or do a work placement?
Incoming students must be visiting the Netherlands to pursue an entire study programme (bachelor's
or master's) at a Dutch institution. Outgoing students may be awarded a scholarship to spend a short
period abroad, providing their stay will last a minimum of three months and they obtain 15 ECTS
credits during this period. It does not matter whether they will be doing so as part of a work
placement, final project or regular component.
13. Can the Holland Scholarship be awarded to students taking part in an online master's
programme?
Scholarships may only be awarded to incoming students seeking to pursue an entire study
programme on-campus with the aim of obtaining a degree. The scholarship programme was
established to stimulate international talent to physically visit the Netherlands and bind them to this
country.
Deadlines
14. When can institutions decide whether they wish to participate in the Holland Scholarship
programme?
Institutions can decide whether they want to participate on an annual basis. For example, an
institution that will not be participating in the 2015-2016 academic year (the upcoming academic year)
can still take part in 2016-2017. Students cannot be admitted to the programme halfway through the
academic year, as the scholarships are divided over the participating institutions on an annual basis.
Applications by institutions to participate in the first year – the 2015-2016 academic year – are subject
to a 31 January 2015 deadline. In subsequent years, the institutions will have to specify whether they
wish to participate in the upcoming academic year by 1 November at the latest.
15. By when must students apply for an incoming scholarship?
1 April 2015
16. By when must institutions inform the student that the scholarship has been awarded?
15 May 2015
17. To what extent are the 1 April and 15 May deadlines binding?
The 1 April deadline for scholarship applications by foreign students was introduced in connection
with the generic nature of the national programme. Effective promotion and recruitment necessitates
an application deadline. The emphasis is on ensuring that foreign students seeking to come to the
Netherlands in September apply for the scholarship if they are enrolling or have enrolled at a study
programme starting in 2015-2016. It does not matter whether the admission procedure has been
completed at that point.
The institution must inform the students to whom it wishes to award a scholarship that they are
eligible by 15 May. If the admission procedure has not yet been completed by this date, the
scholarship may be awarded subject to admission to the study programme. Institutions can draw up a
ranking of the students to whom they wish to award a scholarship, in which they can then include a
number of stand-by candidates. In the event that a student who has selected an institution for a
scholarship cannot be admitted to the programme or decides not to take part, the scholarship may be
awarded to a stand-by candidate.
Institutions must submit the definitive names and details of the students to be awarded a scholarship
to EP-Nuffic by 30 September at the latest.
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18. How strict is the six-week deadline for awarding scholarships to all students to have
submitted an application?
This deadline should be stringently applied. Institutions can award the students scholarships subject
to admission. Institutions can draw up a ranking of the students to whom they wish to award a
scholarship, in which they can then include a number of stand-by candidates. In the event that a
student who has selected an institution for a scholarship cannot be admitted to the programme or
decides not to take part, the scholarship may be awarded to a stand-by candidate. In view of this
procedure, the definitive scholarship recipients cannot be submitted to EP-Nuffic until the start of the
academic year (after their arrival in the Netherlands).
19. When will students receive their scholarship?
Students will receive their scholarships in the form of a single payment by 1 June of the relevant
academic year at the latest. For example, payments for the 2015-2016 academic year must be made
by 1 June 2016.
20. By which date must institutions submit the final number of awarded scholarships?
Institutions must submit information on incoming students for the 2015-2016 academic year by 30
September 2015 at the latest. By that time, the students will have arrived in the Netherlands and the
institutions will have selected all scholarship recipients.
Institutions must also submit any known details on the outgoing scholarships by 30 September at the
latest. In view of the fact that the list will generally not be complete by this time (students can also
leave later on in the academic year), institutions will be required to submit the remaining information
on outgoing students for the 2015-2016 academic year by 1 April 2016 at the latest.
This information must be submitted to EP-Nuffic in the form of a standardised Excel form made
available by EP-Nuffic.
21. My institution applies specific selection procedures, and will not be able to meet the
aforementioned deadlines. Can the deadlines be extended?
In the event that an institution or study programme applies personal selection procedures and/or
lotteries (such as arts or medicine programmes or conservatories) and cannot issue a decision within
the six-week deadline, the decision deadline may be extended. The institution must then inform
students that their applications for both the study programme and scholarship are being processed
within six weeks, stating the date by which the student can expect to receive a reply.
Finances
22. Can incoming students receive a scholarship over multiple years or for the duration of a
multi-year study?
The scholarship for incoming students consists of a one-off, fixed amount that will be paid out in the
first year of the study programme. Students may only be awarded the scholarship once.
23. Is the precondition specifying that students must receive the scholarship in the first year
of their study programme binding?
The scholarship was established in an effort to attract new talent. For this reason, students are
awarded the scholarship before arrival in the Netherlands; although the scholarship amount may be
paid out over the course of the first academic year, the payment must be made before 1 June at the
end of the relevant year.
24. Does the scholarship amount depend on the length of the student's stay?
The scholarship amount is fixed, and does not depend on the length of the student's stay. Incoming
students pursuing an entire study programme in the Netherlands will receive a one-off amount of
€ 5,000 during the first academic year, while outgoing students spending a short time abroad (a
minimum of three months and 15 ECTS credits) will receive € 1,250.
25. Can the institution award its own scholarships alongside the Holland Scholarship?
Yes, institutions are free to award scholarships as a part of their own scholarship programmes in
addition to the Holland Scholarship. If the relevant resources from the institution's own scholarship
fund are sourced from the profiling fund or third flow of funds, they may be applied towards the
Holland Scholarship. However, the integration of scholarships may not result in the issue of higher or
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lower scholarship amounts under the name Holland Scholarship. Institutions must thus award two
separate scholarships, which must be presented as such to the student. Scholarships may be
combined; a student may receive the Holland Scholarship alongside other scholarships, provided this
is also permitted under the terms of these other scholarships.
26. Can institutions apply the resources from their own scholarship fund towards their own
contribution to the Holland Scholarship?
Yes. If the relevant resources from the institution's own scholarship fund are sourced from the profiling
fund or third flow of funds, they may be applied towards the Holland Scholarship.
27. Does the amount of € 1,250 for outgoing students apply per stay abroad?
Both incoming and outgoing scholarships are awarded based on the condition that students may only
receive the scholarship once. As regards outgoing scholarships, this means students are eligible for
one € 1,250 scholarship for a period abroad of at least three months and a minimum of 15 ECTS
credits.
28. Will failure to obtain the predetermined amount of credits affect the scholarship in any
way, such as repayment of the scholarship?
No.
29. Are students obliged to prove how the contribution was spent?
No. However, institutions are free to request that this information be provided.
30. Are institutions entitled to settle due tuition fees against the Holland Scholarship?
Article 2.9 of the Netherlands Higher Education and Research Act (WHW) specifies that government
grants may not be applied to settle tuition fees. This means tuition fees may not be waived against the
scholarship. The invoice sent to the Holland Scholarship recipient must clearly state the full tuition fee
amount due. The institution may also opt to state how much the student will be receiving as a part of
the Holland Scholarship on the same invoice, and only charge the remaining tuition fee amount
(which could theoretically be € 0). This means the institution does not have to collect the tuition fee
first and subsequently pay out the scholarship. However, these are two different flows of funds, and
must be clearly earmarked as such in the institution's accounting records. Under the terms of this
construction, the amount received by the student as a part of the Holland Scholarship also counts as
income.
The institution will decide how it spends the funds on behalf of the student and is obliged to clearly
inform the student in advance that the scholarship will be partly used to compensate for the tuition
fee.
31. Can the institution decide to award more or fewer scholarships?
Yes. In the event that the institution awards more scholarships, it will pay for 100% of these additional
scholarships. If the institution awards fewer scholarships, the contribution from the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Science will be reduced; this contribution is linked to the number of awarded
scholarships.
32. Institutions are supposed to provide matching funds from the profiling fund to the tune of
€ 2.5 million. Does this specifically concern the knowledge scholarship?
No, this refers to institutions applying funds from the profiling fund to pay for half of the scholarship.
33. The number of scholarships awarded by the institution exceeds the fixed threshold.
Which maximum contribution amount will the institution be required to pay?
Institutions only pay for half of the number of scholarships they have been allocated on the basis of
the distribution formula and that they have actually awarded. Institutions must pay for 100% of any
scholarships awarded in excess of this number.
34. Can government-funded institutions that award scholarships to students enrolled at a
non-subsidised study programme expect to receive matching funds from the Ministry of
Education, Culture and Science?
No. Non-subsidised study programmes – like non-subsidised institutions – are regarded as a
commercial enterprise. Any contributions to such enterprises by the Ministry of Education, Culture and
Science would constitute unfair competition and government aid.
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35. Must students have received the scholarship payment before 1 June 2015?
Yes. The scholarship must have been received by the end of the academic year. This means students
must have received scholarship amounts for the 2015-2016 academic year by 1 June 2016 at the
latest.
36. What about the scholarship programme for outgoing students?
This scholarship programme is currently being developed. It should serve to provide a legal basis for
awarding outgoing scholarships on the basis of government funding. The programme is set to be
completed before the start of the 2015-2016 academic year. Until this time, all information on outgoing
scholarships should be regarded as provisional. You will receive further details as soon as the
programme takes effect.
37. Will a fine be issued to institutions that do not award the full amount of pre-agreed
scholarships?
No. Institutions are entitled to award fewer scholarships. In such cases, the amount of funding from
the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science will be reduced. This amount is linked to the actual
number of scholarships to be awarded.
Communication
38. How can students submit an application?
The Holland Scholarship programme will be launched on 16 February. From this date onwards,
students can apply for a scholarship at their institution of choice, or their own institution. The
institutions will then select students for the scholarships. The scholarship application procedure may
thus vary, depending on the institution.
39. Which information will institutions be required to provide?
As of the 16 February launch date, institutions must provide information on their criteria and
scholarship application procedures via their websites. This scholarship page should preferably also
feature a list of all study programmes for which a Holland Scholarship is available. The latter is also
important in view of potential objections that will have to be processed by the institution itself.
40. How will scholarship candidates be selected?
Institutions are free to apply their own selection criteria. Amongst other aspects, the emphasis should
be on selecting the most talented students. Institutions are free to determine the relevant criteria as
they see fit. However, the criteria should be clearly featured on the Holland Scholarship landing page
on the institution’s website (you will be receiving a tool kit for this purpose from EP-Nuffic on 6
February) and other communications to students, with a view to potential objections to the institution
following the rejection of applications.
Students - outgoing
41. What are the eligibility criteria for a Holland Scholarship?
The Holland Scholarship is intended for talented students that are enrolled at a participating institution
and wish to spend a period of time studying, doing a work placement or conducting research in a nonEEA country. The stay abroad should have a duration of at least three months and result in the
attainment of at least 15 ECTS credits. The other conditions may vary depending on the institution,
and are featured on the web pages with information on the Holland Scholarship.
42. What is the scholarship amount?
The scholarship consists of a fixed, one-off amount of € 1,250. Students may only apply for the
scholarship once.
43. How do I apply for the scholarship?
The relevant procedure may vary, depending on the institution. Make sure to start your search on the
web pages with information on the Holland Scholarship, and follow the link to the institution at which
you are enrolled.
44. Who determines whether I am eligible for the scholarship?
The institution at which you are enrolled will determine whether or not to award you a scholarship.
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45. I have a non-Dutch nationality. Am I still be eligible for the Holland Scholarship?
If you are enrolled at a participating Dutch institution and will be spending a period of time studying,
doing a work placement or conducting research in a non-EEA country, you may apply for a Holland
Scholarship.
46. Will there be any consequences if I don't pass all the subjects?
No.
47. What are the EEA countries?
EEA countries are all countries within the European Union, together with Iceland, Liechtenstein and
Norway.
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